Strawberry Shampoo
by Twerksie
Summary: [Neji x Tenten oneshot] Neji could not, for the life of him, figure out what that intoxicating fragrance was. Awkward situations abound!


**Strawberry Shampoo**  
By Kimmy

Summary: Awkward situations abound! Neji could not, for the life of him, figure out what that intoxicating fragrance was.

Notes: Hey, Kimmy here with my second Naruto fic. Yes, they're both NejiTen. I can't help it - they're just SO cute. This piece is kinda random. Not TOO fluffy, not TOO unfluffy. just...cute? Well, we'll let you decide that on your own, shall we?  
I don't know if the ending was a bit abrupt, or if the flow is okay, or if I connected the ideas well enough...and I'd appreciate any comments telling me if I did or did not do so. I must strive to improve myself. -heart-  
Well, yes. Here 'tis - Strawberry Shampoo. Please let me know what you think.

----

It was the day Tenten had been announced a chuunin when Neji had first noticed.

----

She had burst out of the hokage's office with a grand smile, looking, for all she was, a giddy little school girl. Her dark honey eyes shone with joy as she relayed the information to Neji. She had been promoted to chuunin, and so had Lee.  
Neji allowed himself a small smile as he looked at the shorter girl.

If he thought the smile would appease Tenten, he had been dead wrong. "Is that all you can do, you idiot?" she demanded, pouting. "You could at least tell me in words instead of a smile."

The smile on Neji's pale face twitched, but a frown at a time like this would surely upset Tenten. He did not want to upset Tenten.

(In other words, Hyuuga Neji was whipped.)

So he forced the smile to remain. "I'm proud of you, Tenten," he said finally. Truthfully.

The pout was instantly replaced with a grin. "Thank you!" she said happily, completely ignoring the fact that he had been forced to say what she was so thankful for. "You're so sweet, Neji," she teased, throwing her arms around his middle.

The Hyuuga was momentarily startled at the contact. But he relaxed soon afterwards, the grin that kept cropping up so frequently recently appearing on his usual stoic face.

(Again, Hyuuga Neji was whipped.)

"Tenten-san!"

_Lee._ Neji was tempted to pound the green-clad shinobi's face in for ruining such a relaxing moment.

Tenten released Neji's middle, and looked over his shoulder. "Ah, Lee-san! Congratulations!" She grinned once more at Neji, before walking past him to their other teammate.

That was when Neji noticed. He had just started using various relaxation techniques to try to prevent himself from demanding another hug from Tenten. Those techniques included several complicated breathing exercises. As luck would have it, he had been completing one such exercise when Tenten had brushed past. He caught a whiff of something. A very nice something.

At once, his anger toward Lee for interrupting melted away. Though his desire for another hug intensified.

_What is that magical scent?_

----

Really, Neji didn't know why it bothered him so much. It was a nice aroma, sure, but it was hardly something to be so bothered about.

Maybe it was just the fact that he didn't know what the scent was.

Or maybe it was just the fact that it had _Tenten_ scribbled in big, black, bold letters all over it.

He figured it was a combination of both.

----

Hyuuga Neji had a headache. Yes, even Neji is not completely immune to sickness, hard as that is to believe. He had a very bad headache, and it was making him very irritable.

He walked along the streets of Konohagakure, his hands kept stiff at his sides and his white eyes kept forward, to a distant apartment. Tenten's apartment. Gai-sensei had told Neji to go and summon Tenten from her place immediately, for a "very important mission."

Gai had said it with joyous tears in his eyes, so Neji figured it wasn't too serious or life-threatening. And besides, his headache had not gone away, so he took his time strolling.

He had been walking for about ten minutes when a familiar scent reached his nose. He stopped in his tracks and whipped his head to the right. Was it Tenten? No.

No, it was a fruit stand.

Neji blinked, confused, but then started off on his way again. How can Tenten smell so much like a fruit stand?

----

Knock, knock. "Tenten?"

There was no answer for the fourth time. "Tenten!" Neji called again, knowing she would not answer. Where the heck is she? He growled unconsciously, frustrated.

He placed a hand on the doorknob and dared to turn it. Open. Neji made a mental note to reprimand the kunoichi for being so careless. Really, what kind of ninja leaves their front door open? He sighed, and stepped inside. Immediately, every trace of rational thought left his mind, and his headache seemed to lessen considerably.

There was that smell again. That wonderful, sweet-smelling fragrance. It was coming from the door opposite him. Slightly ajar.

The aroma had robbed Neji of all logic and common sense (or was that just the headache?), and so he was very easily lured to the door. He stopped right outside. He heard splashes, but it barely registered. All he cared about that moment was finding out what that mysterious scent was. He pushed the door open with a creak and stepped inside.

Instantly, a kunai went sailing past his head, missing his ear by a millimeter, and his bound black hair flared up a little at the breeze. How careless of me, he thought numbly.

"Neji – what are you doing?" it was Tenten. In her bathtub. Enjoying a nice soak, but now wielding three shuriken in each hand.

_Indeed. What am I doing?_ Neji blinked. "Erm."

"What the hell are you waiting for! Get the hell out of my bathroom!" she sent two shuriken at the door behind him. "NOW!"

The Hyuuga stared for a moment.

And then promptly collapsed into unconsciousness.

----

"Neji."

The voice belonged to Tenten's. He knew that, at least.

"_Neji."_

It didn't sound very pleasant. That was another thing he knew.

"_Neji."_

Hyuuga Neji had learned to try to avoid situations when Tenten's voice seemed to mask murderous intent.

"Neji, I know you're not unconscious anymore."

Oh, no. Neji finally opened his eyes. Tenten was looking down at him, a heavy scowl piercing her pretty face. What did Neji do to make her so mad?  
A brief flashback. That familiar fragrance. Towels. Bathtub. Bubbles. Tenten clothed only in said bubbles.

Oh.

_Oh._

OH!

Oh, no.

"Don't look so innocent, Hyuuga Neji," her usually sweet voice sounded slightly menacing. Tenten, brown hair wrapped in a towel, glared down at him, and Neji, looking at her, could almost see the pits of hell staring back at him from the depths of her eyes. "What were you doing in my bathroom?"

"I wasn't thinking straight," Neji mumbled, embarrassed.

"That much is obvious! Why were you in my bathroom?" She crossed her arms and Neji noted, relieved yet almost disappointed, that she was fully clothed.

"Eh – well," he mumbled, looking away uncomfortably. He felt very vulnerable, suddenly, with Tenten standing over him. Neji did not like that feeling.

"Well what?"

"Gai-sensei was looking for you, and he sent me to find you, so I...found you." It was a rather lame excuse, considering he had walked in on her naked. His cheeks flushed at the very thought. He dared to look back at her, and was not surprised to see the pits of hell still glaring down at him. Neji winced as he sat up to rid himself of that feeling of vulnerability. Ah. Yes, the headache.

Tenten sighed at his sharp intake of breath, the angry fire in her eyes seeming to dull. She folded her knees under her and sat on the floor. "You _found_ me in my bathroom, Neji," she chided gently. She gently pushed him back. "Now stay still, you have a fever."  
Neji, struck by her sudden change of attitude, allowed himself to be guided down onto the pillow. He watched as Tenten suddenly grabbed a small towel from beside her, dipped it into ice water and wrung it out. "You know," she mumbled, sighing at the floor, "you should really be more aware of your health. You really shouldn't have walked so far with this fever."

The startled Hyuuga said nothing as she placed the towel on his head.

After a moment of silence, in which Neji stared and Tenten sighed, the kunoichi said, "Gai-sensei and Lee-san came over when you were out. They didn't say anything about a mission," she shrugged, and suddenly stood up, "Wait here, I'm going to get a thermometer."

Whatever Neji had been feeling before that moment was immediately replaced with indignation as she vanished into her room. If there really wasn't a mission...that meant he hadn't had to walk over here, hadn't had to have seen Tenten unclothed in her bathtub, hadn't had to be faced with such an angry kunoichi, and hadn't had to have fallen unconscious in someone else's nice-smelling bathroom! He had an almost irresistible urge to bolt out of the apartment, dash over to the two green-clad ninja and show them exactly what his springtime of youth was capable of.

But when he was about to sit up again, that very nice something reached his nose. It was light, faint. But still enough to cause Neji to feel lightheaded for a moment. As soon as he regained use of his motor skills, he turned his head toward the direction in which the fragrance was coming from. Tenten had just come from her bedroom. She was walking toward him, a thermometer in her small feminine hands, and her damp brown hair let loose. It was the first time Neji had seen it wet. Or even unbound. It was a nice change.

A very nice change, he decided.

She neared the still shinobi on her couch. Neji saw that her face didn't display any of her previous anger, but she wasn't exactly smiling just yet. She sighed for what seemed like the fiftieth time that night when she took her place on the floor next to Neji's resting place. He really didn't like it when she looked so serious.

(Whipped.)

The nice smell was rather strong now. "Tenten," he said in his monotone, before he could stop himself.

"Yes?" she said, her eyes examining the thermometer in her hands.

Er. "Wha – er. I mean, I'm sorry for barging into your bathroom." Neji mentally kicked himself in the arse. He had meant to ask what that scent was. But instead, he had blurted out some sort of apology for an incident that the both would most likely prefer to forget about.

Tenten's honey eyes met his as a small smile spread across her face. "Forget it, Neji," she mumbled, blushing. An uncomfortable silence fell between them, and the Weapons expert took it upon herself to fill it, with, "Now open your mouth."

"Wha - ? Oormph."

She had placed the thermometer in his mouth. She smiled at him. "Consider sitting still for a minute your punishment, Hyuuga."

Neji's eyebrows furrowed, but he obliged. He sat up and crossed his arms. After a while, his white eyes slid toward the girl on his left, who was staring at the floor with a soft smile on her face. Neji could not tear his eyes away, though he knew he really should.   
She sat with her knees folded under her, her head angled in a pretty sort of way, and her hands knotted in her lap. Her forehead protector was nowhere to be seen, and her usual kunai and scrolls did not weigh her down. The customary buns on her head were gone. Undone, and the brown hair that now framed her face made her look pretty. Prettier than usual, Neji found himself thinking to himself.

He found himself wishing for that hug that Lee had interrupted weeks ago.

(Whipped.)

"Oh!" Tenten had jumped slightly in her place, looking at her clock. "You should be done," she mumbled, more to herself than to Neji. She scuttled closer to him (Neji found that smell very intoxicating), and plucked the thermometer out of his mouth. She examined it with furrowed brows. "Hmm," she muttered, pursing her lips. "You're going to need some medicine."

Neji was not listening, for he just could not stand it any longer. "Tenten, what is that smell?" he suddenly demanded of her, his own eyebrows furrowing again.

"Smell?" Tenten sniffed the air. "What smell?"

"That smell that's been making me act like an idiot!" Neji mentally smacked himself. Hyuuga Neji was not supposed to be a total lovesick idiot. And yet he was. Right now. Every single moment he was in Tenten's presence. Since that day he had first smelled it. Since that day Tenten had hugged him.

Comprehension finally dawned on Tenten. "Oh..." she said softly, blushing. "my strawberry shampoo, you mean?"

Neji crossed his arms again and said nothing. He was very annoyed. Strawberry shampoo! What kind of Hyuuga doesn't know what strawberries smell like? What kind of Hyuuga gets so bothered over shampoo? What kind of Hyuuga falls, unconscious, in his female teammate's bathroom because of said shampoo? What kind of Hyuuga acts like a total idiot because of said shampoo?

"Hyuuga Neji," Tenten laughed. Neji's narrowed eyes slid toward her. "Have I really gotten you that _whipped_?"

----

Q: What kind of Hyuuga doesn't know what strawberries smell like? What kind of Hyuuga gets so bothered over shampoo? What kind of Hyuuga falls, unconscious, in his female teammate's bathroom because of said shampoo? What kind of Hyuuga acts like a total idiot because of said shampoo?

A: A very whipped, very lovesick Hyuuga Neji

----

END

Meh. So how do you like it? Reading it over now, frankly, I'm a bit disappointed. But then again, I'm always disappointed in my work.   
Let me know what you think! -nice guy pose-


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